A Second Destiny
by cross82
Summary: How can the scouts respond when everything they have belived to be true is challeged by a new and unpredictible enemy. I know I suck at summaries but please R&R anyway. Now Rated T for some chapters. Chapter 9 is now up. STORY ON HOLD computer awaiting re
1. Prologe

Author's note: This is a work of sailormoon fiction that takes place during the R season, just after the defeat of the Doom Tree. I will be using English names for characters in order to preserve my own sanity and because access to the Japanese material is difficult here in the UK. The story contains some strong language and violence and will be rated M to be on the safe side. As is the norm please don't read on if this sort of material offends you. You were warned.

This is my first attempt at a fan fiction so any feedback would be much appreciated. I welcome advice, suggestions or constructive criticism. Flames or hate mail will of course be deleted.

As for the disclaimer I might as well put it here. This is a work of fiction (Although if you couldn't figure that out the I commend you for managing to read this far), I do not own Sailormoon some rich people do, I do own this story (such as it is) and the computer I've used to write it.

PROLOUGE: A Dark Awakening

It was night time in the city of Tokyo. From dark clouds in the sky the rain seems to fall in sheets, and those still out move hurriedly to escape the deluge. Seemingly unnoticed by anyone, a lone figure staggers from the street and into a side ally. The figure is a young man, possibly in his early twenties. His dark hair is plastered to his scalp with the downpour. The ruins of a black shirt of some sort still hang off of a wasted body. He has one arm slung across his chest as though his ribs are killing him. He leans against a wall for support, his breathing a series of ragged gasps. He shakes his head a little as if to clear it and moves on, heedless of the deep indentations his fingers have made in the concrete.

The Street Vipers as they liked to be called were a small gang of thugs and petty criminals. Mostly school dropouts who had nowhere to go, and had yet to progress to serious crimes. Wheather the police even knew of the gang's existence was unknown. Even if they did it was unlikely that any action would be taken unless the group began causing serious trouble. It was far more likely that a new group that small would soon have a run in with one of the organised major gangs and that would be the end of them. They were led by Togawa, a ruthless and imposing figure who led by intimidation and an unsettling willingness to hurt people.

He'd called the gang out this evening because he needs the money. But this fuckin storm had all but killed any chance of grabbing someone from the street. No one who didn't have to would be thick enough to walk out in this weather.

Togawa was about to give in for the night when his phone rings. "Some guy's headed your way. An easy mark, looks like he's drunk or stoned or some shit like that. He'll reach you in about three minutes." Togawa waves the others toward him with a slow grin spreading across his face. Maybe tonight would provide a little entertainment after all.

"Right boys we got some stupid asshole and he's coming this way. Now we're going to make this fucker sorry he ever stepped on our turf got that!" Motioning the others to get in place he takes up a position on the rusted fire escape. He watches as the figure draws slowly closer. He pulls a switchblade, relishing the thrill of the impending violence and readies himself to jump.

The young man stumbles forward into the waiting ambush without seeming to notice or care. He doesn't respond even when Togawa leaps down in front of him brandishing a blade. Unimpressed by the lack of response Togawa raises his knife threateningly, the rest of the gang, following his lead also emerge from behind various walls and bins. "Alright asswipe, Looks like you've wandered into Viper territory. We don't like piece of shit trespassers like you so you're going to have to pay the toll."

The man finally looks up. His eyes are blank and uncomprehending at first, then with a suddenness that actually causes Togawa to hesitate for a moment they snap into focus. Several of the gang members pause; something isn't right with the light. The shadows in the alleyway seem to be moving even though everyone is stood still and the only light comes from a naked bulb over some service entrance. With a sudden terrible rush the shadows gather around the figure wrapping around him like a shroud. The Ally is suddenly filled with a fierce wind which seems to be centred on their victim. There is a brief movement too fast for the eye to follow; the light in the area is suddenly deepened to a shade of red as a spray of blood hits it. Togawa staggers back screaming, trying in vain to swing his knife with an arm that is no longer attached to his body. A pulse of darkness envelops him and the screaming stops abruptly. The figure looks up at the rest of the gang with eyes that are now blood red, and grins.

Three miles away, in the Cherry Hill Temple, fifteen year old Raie Hino wakes with a start.

Sorry it was a short opener. But I wanted to get to the story as soon as possible. Please let me know if this is any good and I'll post chapter one as soon as possible.


	2. Seeds of darkness

Disclaimer this is a work of fiction. I do not own Sailormoon, blah blah blah you should know the drill by now.

A Second Destiny

Chapter 1: Seeds of darkness

Raie tried to sit up in her bed, heart hammering and breathing hard. Looking wildly around, she noted with relief that she was still in her bedroom. The familiar surroundings and comforting sound of the rain outside quickly calmed her. She was soaking with sweat and trapped by her twisted sheets. The digital clock at her bedside told her it was around half-four in the morning, with chores and preparing for school there was little chance of getting back to sleep. She let out a quiet groan of frustration and struggled to extract herself from her bedding. With an effort she pulled herself free and began searching for some clothes. What had the dream been about? It must have been pretty bad to have left her in this state.

The only other time she could remember a dream affecting her this badly was when she had been eleven or twelve. She had wanted to catch a late night movie which her grandpa had forbidden and had snuck out of her room to watch it. The film had been one of those budget horrors, the kind which are scariest if you have to sneak down dark hallways after you've seen them. The dreams which followed had left her in tears that night.

This time had been different; it had been so real although the details were slipping away rapidly. There had been something dark like the demons she and the other scouts had faced in the past. Could it be something to do with the Negaverse? And so soon after that chaos with Anne, Alan ant the Doom Tree? Raie pulled on some robes and slipped out of her door. She decided to consult the flames for guidance. There was little harm in trying and it would serve to either set her mind at ease or justify telling the others. With a speed and grace born of years of practice she hopped from one board to the next, knowing exactly where to tread to avoid waking grandpa or Chad. Raie's progress as she slipped down the corridor was silent and she was soon kneeling in prayer before the fire.

It was a day later a Saturday. Gathered around a table in the temple, five girls sit in deep discussion. Just looking at them you would never guess that they were the sailor scouts who had prevented the city and even the world from being destroyed on at least two occasions now.

"So c'mon Raie what did you discover? Tell us already." Serena whines, her impatience getting the better of her and causing her to pace the room, breakfast forgotten.

"It's got to be something." Lita points out "You wouldn't have called us all out here otherwise."

Raie hesitates a moment, just to wind Serena up a little further. She still enjoyed teasing Serena although it was no longer mean spirited.

"I'm not sure." She finally admits "The dream was definitely connected to a real event. Some sort of dark energy that was released that night was the trigger."

"Do you think it was the Negaverse?" the cat Luna asks.

"I couldn't tell."

Amy looked up from the newspaper, her expression pensive. "You said this happened Friday morning?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because of this story right here." She pushes the paper forward so they can all crowd around 'Police are investigating a horrific attack which took place late Thursday evening in the south end of the city. They believe it to be a territorial battle between street gangs although they have been unable to find any leads on those responsible."

"Hey! I know that place." Mina exclaims pointing at the picture of the café which accompanies the article. "I've eaten there a few times. It's only a few minutes from my school."

Raie looks over at the picture and freezes the blood draining out of her face. "That's the place in my dream." Everyone looks up at her.

"You sure?" Serena asks concerned by Raie's abrupt reaction. "I mean I'm not saying you're wrong, but you just told us you couldn't remember a lot of the dream, and the picture just shows an ally next to some cafe."

"I think so." Raie looks around at everyone "I know I don't remember many details but something's telling me that that's the place."

"Well then girls we should go down there and look around" Artemis states jumping up onto the table. "If it is something to do with the Negaverse then we can't afford not to."

"But I don't want to go on a bus ride." Serena whines "Can't we just rent a movie or something instead." She places her head in her hands and pouts.

"Oh come on Serena, It can't hurt to at least go over there and check the place out." Mina chides, grinning and leaning on Serena's shoulder "Besides if we all chip in we can get some ice cream while we're there."

Serena let's out a defeated sigh. "Alright, but it had better be a good ice cream."

An hour later, the five girls climb off the bus and walk the last few streets to the café. They pause at the police barricade looking around.

The street isn't too crowded and despite the barricades there are no police in sight.

"Go on girls. We can keep an eye out for any police officers while you're back there." Artemis states. He and Luna take up places by the barricades watching the street as with furtive looks around the girls slip under the sign.

"Ok Raie. Where to now?"

Raie looks about in confusion. The dream is little more than a haze of confused colour and sound. "I'm not really sure you guys. This is the right area but I don't remember…..wait a second" She closes her eyes trying to focus in on the sensation. "A dark presence, this way" Slowly Raie leads the others deeper into the gloom.

Creeping along in middle of the group Serena is clinging timidly to Lita's sweater and Amy's sleeve. She jumps at just about every sound tries in vain to look in every direction. It's all too easy for her to imagine the sort of person who could come out of those shadows. Out all the places in the world she didn't want to be this had to be at the top of the list. A trashcan suddenly tips over with a thunderous clanging. With a scream Serena jumps forward into Lita, clinging desperately to the taller girl's arm "Um does anyone else think we could just get out of here. This place is too creepy."

"Serena will you get a grip." Lita retorts pulling her arm from Serena's death grip. "You're with all of us and besides we're the sailor scouts. There's no one we can't handle."

Privately, Lita had to admit something felt a little off here. Like passing from sunlight to shade with her eyes closed and being able to feel the difference. This place just didn't feel quite right.

"This is it." Raie announces bringing the group to a halt near the side entrance to the café.

"Give me a minute I'll check this out with my computer." Amy pulls her transforming wand. "Mercury Power Transform!" having transformed into Sailor mercury she activates her visor and begins a scan. "This looks pretty bad. I'm reading massive amount of lingering dark energy still in the area. It's all over the place."

"Right! How about you Raie? Are you getting anything?" Mina asks. Serena now clinging to her shoulder looks over curious.

Raie closes her eyes in prayer, trying to read the energy in the ally. "It's dark, and extremely powerful. It's not quite the same as anything we've met from the Negaverse though." She turns to face her friends. "What worries me is that the aura is still this strong after a few days."

"Raie. What are you talking about?" Serena butts in, temporally forgetting her fear.

Raie sighs and looks up. "Alright Serena. Have you ever spilled perfume in your room? You know how the smell lingers for a while" Serena nod suspiciously "Well evil energy is similar. It leaves a trace of itself behind. The more powerful the evil source the longer the aura takes to fade. This place is still stronger than anything I've ever sensed."

"You know if we're quick enough there might be a way to be sure if it is the Negaverse or not." Amy says. She looks unsure of what she's about to say. "I'll need someone to come with me to the police station."

The sound of sirens penetrates the silence causing the girls to look up in alarm. "You girls might want to take a look at this." Artemis shouts over. They run over to the street, Amy changing back from Sailor Mercury along the way.

The road is still busy with police and medical teams. All of them heading to the shopping district. Luna runs over from an electronics store across the street. "Scouts. I've just caught the news. There's been some kind of incident at the shopping centre. You might be needed."

"Alright." Lita says looking over at Amy "Amy! You and Serena go to the police station. Raie, Mina and me can check this out."

Serena and Amy start off. "Just make sure you keep your communicators on. Call us if there's trouble."

With that the girls set off in their different directions.

A.N. Ok that's all for chapter one. Chapter two is mostly done already and should be out later in the week. Please send me some sort of feedback. Any suggestions or longer comments then please E-mail me.


	3. First Encounter

Well I finally got chapter two ready. Sorry it took so long to post but I only get limited net access. I've got some major points to cover in a disclaimer.

I don't own Sailor Moon. This is a work of fiction. The story may contain violence or strong language in parts.

I hope that's everything.

A Second Destiny

Chapter 2: First Contact

"Amy! Please will you wait up and just listen to me?" Serena begged. She had to half jog in order to match the determined pace that her friend was setting. Despite all her protests Amy was marching along with a determination Serena had only seen once or twice before. Desperately Serena tried once more. "Come on Amy! Why do we need to sneak into a police station to see some dead bodies? Why would you even want to for that matter?"

Amy finally stopped just outside the entrance to the police station and looked back at Serena. Although she was the leader of the Sailor Scouts and had proven herself on several occasions, she still had a tendency to let he fear get in the way of her duty. "Serena, several people have died already and we need to know if it's related to the Negaverse or not. The energy readings I got back in the Ally suggest that it wasn't a normal turf war that led to those people getting killed. We have to try and make sure one way or the other."

Serena bowed her head in defeat. "I know." She says, a little resentfully. "But that doesn't mean I've got to like it." The pair look at the doors for a few moments. Finally Serena asks "So how are we going to get in anyway? It's not like we can just stroll past the front desk."

"I think the best way would for you to disguise yourself as a police officer. Then you lead me through those doors to the left of the desk. Once we're into the office we can find our way to the morgue."

"Fine, I'll do it but you owe me big for this." Quickly checking that no one is paying them any attention Serena pulls the Luna pen from her pocket and holds it aloft. "Disguise Power! Turn me into a police sergeant." There's a flash of light as the pen works its magic. Lowering the new shades that she is suddenly wearing Serena looks herself over. The uniform doesn't look that bad. Her hair is a little shorter than se would have liked but at least she looked old enough to be in the police force. She leans over speaking out of the side of her mouth "Ok Amy now what do I do?"

Amy looks through the glass door for a few moments taking note of the layout of the front desk. "With that woman in there making a complaint you might be able to get in without having to answer any questions. Walk in like you own the place. Don't stop for anything and go straight for the door on the left."

"Right." Serena takes hold of Amy's upper arm and guides her into the building.

Inside an overweight woman yells at an obviously frustrated officer. "But my wall was taken down by some crazy overgrown plant. You can see the holes for yourself. I'm telling you it had some thing to do with those strange people on the top floor."

"Madam I can assure you that when we were called out to investigate a disturbance, we checked the building and there were no signs of any people or trees on the top floor."

Serena and Amy quickly slip past the desk and through the door unnoticed by either the guard or the woman who was now explaining exactly what she thought of the police investigations so far. Beyond the door was a cluttered hallway with notice boards and people rushing about on all manor of different errands. Amy leans a little closer to Serena. "We need to try to get to the basement. It's most likely that's where the merge is located"

Hugging the walls and trying hard not to be noticed the pair head slowly along the corridors and down the stairwell. Amazingly none of the officers seems to pay them any attention as the finally descend into the basement.

All is quiet at the foot of the stairs. Amy checks the signs on the wall and gestures to Serena. "Ok I'm pretty sure the morgue is this way. Once we get there all we'll need to do is find the victims from the ally way and hopefully find some clues as to what happened." They stop at a stainless steel door helpfully marked morgue. Amy looks at Serena, to see her apparently frozen ten feet back down the passage.

"I can't do it." Serena whispers quietly. "I'm sorry Amy but I just can't" Her eyes are rimmed with tears as she looks up pleading.

"It's ok Serena. You can just keep watch for me then." Amy starts forward. If she had had ten, maybe twenty minutes she might have been able to talk Serena around. But time was not on their side. A lookout certainly couldn't hurt at any rate.

As she opens the door Amy can't help but shiver. It's not just that the room is cold, she has doesn't want to do this any more than Serena._ "Get a grip Amy" _She chastises herself. _"If you're going to be a doctor you should be able to handle being around dead people. Besides you have to set an example for Serena." _Grim faced, she opens the files and begins her search.

"Ok guys let's do it." Lita commands. "Jupiter Power Transform!"

"Mars Power Transform!"

"Venus Power Transform"

The three scouts leap as one up onto the rooftops and begin a rapid journey toward the shopping district. Even from here they can see the rising plumes of black smoke. "C'mon guys move it." Mars yells as she pushes the pace.

The screams from below bring them to an abrupt halt. "No! Please! Get away from me!" They race over in the direction of the last scream. Looking over the edge of the building they can see two smouldering figures lying on the ground. One female and one male. The scouts drop lightly down and rush over to check on the victims.

"There's no breathing and I can't find her pulse." Venus announces desperately moments later from the position of the fallen woman. Up close both Venus and Jupiter can see the blackened flesh that was once the right side of the woman's face, her position indicates that her neck is clearly broken. With her eyes closed Jupiter calls over "Mars! Is that other guy alive over there?"

The dark haired man groans and mumbles something that sounds like "Give me…. give me" Mars leans in close, trying to catch the words. "What do you need? I couldn't hear you. Don't worry we're here to help." She suddenly lets out a cry of shock as his hand clamps painfully on her wrist. The man's eyes flash red as the shadows themselves warp around his body. He stands slowly as Raie grabs at his hand trying to pull free from his grasp.

"Give me yourself." He hisses in a raspy voice while tightening his grip. Raie struggles desperately to free herself but the creature's grip is like iron.

"Hey! Leave her alone right now if you know what's good for you!" Jupiter yells. She charges forward fearlessly, intent on freeing Raie from the thing's grasp. As she reaches out there is a loud crackle and a scream of pain from Jupiter before she is thrown back by a surge of dark energy that comes from the aura itself. Badly burned she lands in a heap a few feet away.

"What the hell are you?" Raie gasps in pain as the creature's monstrous grip on her forearm tightens still further. The pressure is now all but unbearable and as hard as she struggles, she is completely unable to free herself she is sure that it is only a matter of moments before something breaks.

Jupiter staggers upright and throws herself forward. "I said let go of her right now or I'm gonna…"

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"

The beam of energy overtakes Jupiter and catches the creature in the shoulder. Knocked off balance it releases its grip on Raie, but before anyone can react it jumps a full thirty feet straight up landing on the rooftop of the nearest building.

"Sailor Mars! Are you ok?" Jupiter asks crouching over her injured friend.

"I'll be fine." Raie looks at the others her expression determined. "Now get after that thing before it gets away. I'll call the others on the communicator and catch up."

Sensing that this is no time to argue Jupiter nods "Alright then. Let's go Venus." The two of them leap up onto the building in pursuit of their opponent.

In the morgue Amy runs her computer over the only body from the crime scene still on the premises. It's not fun and it's not pretty. As near as she could figure out, this man had died from a combination of burns and massive physical trauma. His neck and back are broken in at least six different places, his left leg was severed and his eyes appear to have been burned out by an intense concentrated heat. Every bit as disturbing was the fact that she had scanned the body three times now and was still unable to detect any energy whatever. _"This is bad. The human body stores at least a small charge energy which takes months to fully dissipate even after death. The only explanation is that his energy was stolen as he died." _As she reaches over to zip up the bag and close the drawer the body speaks.

"Amy!"

Amy jumps violently and stumbles backward tripping as she does. A hand lands on her shoulder and she lets out a scream. Startled, Serena screams too.

"Amy come in already. It's me Raie" Still shaken, Amy approaches the table and grabs her communicator from the table. "You guys need to get here right away. We're half a mile south of the shopping district. Venus and Jupiter are chasing the monster now but I don't think they can do this alone.

"We're on our way now." Amy calls into the communicator. She looks up at Serena. "Are you ready?"

With a nod Serena grabs her locket. "Moon Crystal Power Transform!"

"Mercury Power Transform!" The two of them transform and race through the basement in the direction of the car park.

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" The creature ducks under the beam with incredible speed. The returned energy blast from the creature causes Jupiter and Venus to separate as they dive to escape the blast.

"Ok pal! Let's see you dodge this." The antenna extends from Jupiter's tiara and electrical energy gathers. "Jupiter Thunder Cra..."

Another bolt of dark energy hits Jupiter's barely formed attack inches away from her face. The explosion throws her back into the concrete structure of the roof entrance. Her ears ringing Jupiter, rolls to her knees and tries to force her body to react as another final attack heads towards her. Her body responds slowly, painfully and she knows there's no hope of avoiding this one. She closes her eyes and feels the breath knocked out of her as something hits her hard in the side.

Venus, seeing the danger, charges forward and shoves Jupiter as hard as she can away from her. The blast hits Venus full force and she let's out a scream as she is thrown like a rag doll into the roof entrance. Her head strikes the corner and she falls to the ground, transforming back into Mina and collapsing in a rapidly spreading pool of blood.

"MINA! NO!" Jupiter finds new strength in her desperation and anger and manages to struggle to her feet. "I'm going to kill you for this you filthy bastard!" Her voice carries a cold fury as she gathers her strength and screams "JUPITER THUNDER DRAGON!"

A massive burst of lightning flies forward, taking on the form of a great dragon as it goes. It descends on the creature with the full force of a storm, cutting its scream short tearing a large chunk off of the edge of the building. Jupiter throws herself over Mina's prone body as shrapnel flies in all directions.

"Jupiter! Venus! We're here!" Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury race over to the bleeding forms of Jupiter and Mina. Mars walks over more slowly, nursing her right arm.

"What happened here Jupiter?" Mercury asks.

Jupiter looks up tears running down her face. "Mina, she jumped in front of that thing's attack to save me. We've got to get her some help now."

Sailor Moon nods. "I'm on it." She jumps from the side of the building in search of a phone.

Everyone else transforms back into their normal selves. "We have to get Mina down to the ally before the medical teams arrive." Raie points out. "We'll have a hard enough time explaining how she got hurt without having to explain what she was doing up on the roof too."

"You're right." Amy says pulling of her shirt and stemming the flow of blood from mina's head. "We can tell the truth about the monster attack and say that Mina was hit by stray rubble." With Lita's help she lifts Mina and they move slowly to the fire escape. "What about you Lita? Or you Raie? You both got hurt too."

"I'll be fine" Raie says. She pulls up her sleeve with a wince revealing the severe bruising around her wrist. "Nothing broken but I'm going to be in long sleeves for a while."

The trip down the fire escape was slow and awkward but luckily there were steps instead of ladders and they soon met with Serena in the deserted side street to await the ambulance.

The scouts would have to go. That much was already certain. The man on the rooftop watches carefully as bitch with the energy beam, the one named Mina was loaded into the back of the ambulance. Those girls must have found her on the rooftop and called for help. It didn't matter. He noted the name of the hospital and grinned. He already knew what to do about his first target. This was going to be fun.

That's it for chapter 2. Chapter three is underway and if you look carefully you might even see the plot in there somewhere. Feel free to review the story or send comments. It encourages me to keep writing and helps me improve. Till next time then.


	4. Disruption

Finally Chapter three is done. First up I'd like to get a few very quick messages out of the way. I'd like to say thanks for all the positive reviews and encouragement (looks around expectantly). Well a positive review at any rate. If you enjoy the stories you read please take a moment or two, just to leave a review for the author. It really does provide a lift and a reason to keep writing. In the event he ever reads this I'd like to thank Sam for helping me get hold of the Japanese Dubs of seasons 1 through 5 on DVD.

For future reference I'll be using a mix of English and Japanese material from now on depending on what is most convenient, especially for names for example Rei and Serena. So it's intentional and not a mistake.

As with the other chapters I don't own Sailor Moon, The story is fictional and is property of David Cross. Please don't post it on a website without asking permission.

Is that all of it? Yes? Good then on with the story.

A Second Destiny

Chapter 3: Disruptions

"So what is it that you think we're dealing with then Ami?"

Serena, Lita and Ami had gathered around a table at the edge of the school grounds. Luna has joined them and is perched on the wall nearby. They look like normal girls enjoying their lunch in the shade by the trees, but their discussion is far from normal. It's been three days since the battle which put Mina in hospital with a fractured skull and concussion.

"I still don't know. Rei says it's not a monster. Or at least not like any we've faced before. According to her she had no warning, the guy had no aura at all until after he transformed." Ami placed her hands on her knees and looked down. "All we know for sure is it's dangerous. If I hadn't suggested that Serena and I go to the police station then we would have been there to help, and poor Mina might not have been hurt."

"Ami stop blaming yourself" Luna scolds "and you too Lita." she adds seeing Lita's mouth open in protest. "Listen all of you. It's terrible what happened to Mina, but you all know how dangerous our mission is. Darien has been to visit her and she'll be ok. She was awake for a while earlier today. We need to be vigilant and stop anyone else being hurt."

"There have already been more reports of disappearances. Homeless people mostly. Whoever or whatever is responsible is playing it smart by taking those who are least likely to be missed" Ami stands up. "We can't let this go on."

"Hey everyone! What're you doing all the way over here?"

Serena turns in her seat. "Oh hey Mol. We were just talking about Mina's accident."

"Is she ok?"

"The doctor seems to think so." Ami says "My mom has been in to see her. Mina ought to be let out in a couple of days. The concussion was really the worst of it. It could've been a lot worse."

"We're going to see her tonight, if you want to tag along you're more than welcome." Lita chimes in looking up for the first time.

Molly bows her head. "I'm sorry but I already promised Melvin I'd meet with him at the planetarium."

The three girls approach Hikawa shrine together in order to meet up with Rei before going to the hospital. Serena never got tired of coming here. The place was almost always peaceful and had a strange beauty of its own, but at sunset it was breathtaking.

They come to an abrupt halt by the wall at the bottom of the steps as they hear raised voices. It's impossible to make out the words at this distance but one of the voices clearly belongs to Rei.

Serena peeks around the wall and ducks back hurriedly as a middle aged woman with a briefcase stalks past and gets into her car. Undaunted, Serena peeks again in time sees Rei and her grandfather march off in different directions.

"Whoa! What do you suppose that was all about?" Serena asks bewildered.

"I don't know, but we should see if Rei's ok." Lita suggests.

The others nod in agreement and quietly climb the steps. The temple grounds are deserted. The girls creep in the direction Rei was last seen heading in. They catch sight of her a short distance away. Sat against the foot of a tree with her head buried in her arms. Serena starts forward but the cheerful greeting dies in her throat as she gets closer. The way Rei's shoulders are shaking and the fact she is keeping her face hidden really tells the story. "Rei..?" Serena asks softly "Rei are you alright? What's happened?"

"How can they suspect him?" Rei mutters in a half choked whisper so Serena has to lean close to hear her. "I told them he has nothing to do with it." She looks up her face glistening with tears. "Grandpa's never done anything to hurt anyone and now this."

"What happened Rei? Who's suspecting Grandpa and of what?" Serena asks timidly, the shock of seeing Rei crying so openly unsettling her more than anything else.

"At school today I had gym first period." Rei chokes and furiously rubs at her eyes "The teacher caught sight of the bruises on my arm and called me to her office. She says that she's noticed I've come to school with minor injuries before. She kept asking me if everything was alright at home." She stood up her voice stronger now "Then I get home today and find some social worker wanting to question me about Grandpa and then Grandpa and me together. Everyone seems to suspect that Grandpa's been hurting me or something"

"Rei that's nuts." Serena laughs "I know what girls at school say about the weird pervert who lives up here but…."

Rei shoves Serena hard in the chest, sending the other girl sprawling "Shut it meatball head!" She yells "What do you know about anything?"

As Serena looks up her shocked eyes now swimming with tears, Ami steps forward. "Rei I know you're upset about this but that was uncalled for." Rei turns her back on them.

"Yeah Rei! Ami's right. I know Serena doesn't always put things very delicately but you know that she only means she thinks the school's being ridiculous. We know Grandpa would never hurt anyone."

Rei stays facing the other way but lowers her head. She gives a deep sigh and mutters something that sounds like "sry"

"It's ok Rei. You know we'll all support you." Serena says as Lita pulls her to her feet. "Right now were supposed to be visiting Mina. We won't have long before the ward is closed to visitors. We won't get in if we don't hurry." The four of them head toward the hospital.

"Hey Darien how is she?" Serena asks as they meet him coming out of the ward.

"She's asleep now. But she has been awake She was asking for you." He responds pulling on his jacket. "Her parents came by as well. I told them I was just a friend but I'm not sure they were convinced." He shrugs "It's almost as though I'm being blamed for her getting hurt."

"Seems to be the latest trend." Rei mutters darkly.

Ami clears her throat to get their attention "Look everyone. We know what we do is a terrible risk. I'm surprised that we haven't been hurt like this before. Our lives are watched by those around us who care and if we keep getting hurt then they'll notice. It's only natural for them to be suspicious."

"Are you suggesting we tell out families who we really are?" Lita asks.

Ami sighs "While it would be nice not to have to keep secrets, we couldn't. The more people that find out who we really are, the more we put those around us in danger. Our families and friends would be used against us just like Molly or Darien. We can't risk it."

"So what should we do then Ami?" Rei demands "Grandpa's already under investigation and now Mina's parents are suspicious. Someone will find out eventually"

"That was always a possibility Rei." Darien points out "We just need to be as careful as we can for as long as we can and worry about our real identities being discovered when the time comes." He walks to the door "Do any of you want a ride home?"

"Just give me a minute guys." Lita calls over from the ward desk "I just want to see her. I can leave the card and gifts for her and meet you at the entrance." Darien nods and leads the others to the elevator.

Lita enters the darkened room. The only light comes from the glass window set in the door and from some sort of monitor beeping away next to the bed. She can make out the blonde haired form lying under the covers sleeping soundly. After placing the gifts on the side table Lita takes Mina's hand in her own. "I am so sorry Mina. Pleas forgive me. It's all my fault that you were hurt. I shouldn't have been so reckless. I promise you I'm not going to see anyone else hurt. I'll protect all of you at any cost. I can't afford to lose anyone." She takes a last look the bandages around Mina's head, the drip attached to her arm and wipes her eyes. Then she turns and leaves the room. She never notices Mina open one eye and smile after her.

Much later that night Mina awakens gasping. Some terrible dream fading as she lay in the dark. The man with the shadows wrapped around himself had been chasing her. No matter how hard she ran or how far she jumped he seemed to be right on her heels but just out of sight around the last corner or down the last staircase. Then at the end he had grabbed her neck in a grip like ice and began crushing her.

With a jolt of shock she realised that something was very wrong. The bedclothes are far too tight, wrapped around her body and with notices horror that they are ever so slowly moving up and encircling her arms. As soon she struggles to sit up they snap into a frenzy. The whip around like living things, constricting painfully and driving half of the air from her lungs. Her left arm is pinned to her side and she only barely gets her right hand up and her fingers between the sheet and her throat before it begins to tighten. She desperately struggles against her unseen attacker. _This can't be real_ she thinks desperately _I've got to be asleep and still dreaming._ But as the pressure increases she realises that it's real enough. It is killing her after all. As her vision dims she sees a white shape move toward her and suddenly the cloth at her throat tears.

"Mina you've got to get out of here now!" Artemis has hidden himself in the hospital to be with her and now he uses his claws to shred and weaken the material that is so intent on killing her.

With a massive last effort Mina tears her way free of the bedding which promptly engulfs the cat instead. She goes to help Artemis when he calls out to her. "I'll be fine. There's no sheet I can't shred. Now Run!"

Mina grabs her transforming wand from by the bed and runs to the door. She cries out as a sharp burning pain suddenly teats across her right hand. "Agggh! Shit the IV needle." There's nothing to be done for it now. Mina lurches through her door into the hallway leaving a trail of blood in dime sized drops behind her. The nurse at the desk looks up from her portable TV set and stares at her in shock. Mina starts forward "Please you have to help me."

The nurse jumps up pressing a concealed switch under the desk as she does. "Young lady you shouldn't be out of bed at this hour." She walks toward the frantic Mina with her hands outstretched. "Please return to your room immediately."

Mina turns and runs she rounds the corner and staggers. The world is sliding in and out of focus and her head feels like it was stuffed with cotton wool. She bites her lip hard enough to draw blood and the haze clears slightly. Fighting waves of nausea she reaches the door marked Stairwell and goes through. She descends one flight of stairs before the world lurches badly enough to force her to sit down. This was crazy. She had left Artemis to fend for himself. She was trying to escape from a hospital wearing nothing but a gown that was hardly appropriate for going outside. She hadn't even grabbed her communicator. Her hand stung like crazy and her head hurt worse.

She was just debating going back to the nurses station when the door above he opens causing her to look up. The Nurse steps through and turns to face Mina. The falls down the stair in a heap almost landing in Mina's lap. Mina looks down a screams. The body before her is definitely dead. She looks like she's been dead for weeks. The skin pulled taught over the bone, with all of the moisture and muscle gone. Pushing the body away in shock and revulsion Mina looks up to see another figure in the stairway. A man who despite being standing in the light from the corridor remains hidden in shadow.

When he speaks his voice sends chills through her very being. "Hello there Venus. Or should I be saying… Goodbye?"

OK I'm leaving it here for a bit. (Stop that booing at the back it isn't polite) Please don't think two chapters in a week is the norm for me I just had more time than I thought to get some writing done. My friends are all away enjoying themselves this week while I'm stuck at home so I've extra time to fill. But I'm not bitter you hear me? I'M NOT BITTER!

Anyway, I hate cliff-hangers as much as anyone so I'll do my best to have the next chapter up and ready by the weekend. Reviews are always welcome and if you want to Email feel free. It'd be great to get in touch with other fans.


	5. Broken Destiny

Ok so I've got more time on my hands than I thought. (A little too much perhaps.) Still it's fun to write something that someone other than me will end up reading. Beside the chapter was half written by the time chapter three was posted.

This story is the work of David Cross, please don't use without permission. Blah blah blah work of fiction, blah blah blah don't own Sailor Moon, Possible offence from language you know the sort of thing.

A Second Destiny

Chapter 4: The Broken Destiny

It's late at night in the Hikawa Temple Rei kneels before the fire deep in meditation. Two hours have already passed but Rei continues through her exhaustion. _Please let me know of our new enemy. We need to know who it is. Show me please. Rin-byou-tou-sha-kai-jin-retsu-za-zen. _The flames flare up illuminating the sweat drenched girl. A shape forms for a few moments. Rei looks into it trying to determine its meaning. Such forms could be unstable and she might not be able to recall it if she loses her focus. _It's from the past? But who is he? What is he?_

Rei stare more intently into the patterns made by the flame as they again begin to take form. She holds her breath willing the image to appear this could be the answer needed to finish this. The beeping from her communicator draws her attention away from the fire and the image is lost.

"Fuck!" Rei swears violently as she rises. Now her concentration has broken she can feel as always the wave of tiredness, the sweat literally dripping off of her, the dull ache from remaining in one position for too long. She grabs the communicator. Forgetting her anger the moment she sees Artemis on the screen.

"Rei!" Than goodness I've gotten hold of you. We've got big trouble at the hospital. Something's here. Weird as it sounds the bedding animated and tried to kill Mina. It stopped the second she left the room. I've called Ami and Lita, they're on their way Luna's waking Serena up now. Mina needs your help right away, you're closest, please hurry."

Rei digs in her robes for her wand. "Mars Power Transform!" In a burst of flame she becomes Sailor Mars. Moments later the only sign of her is the still swinging doors.

Slowly the figure descends the stairs. Mina raises her wand. "Venus power…" She groans as powerful wave of nausea washes over her. Desperately she tries to focus so she can transform. The stairs and the figure coming toward her double and then treble. With a detached dismay she feels the wand struck from her grasp and hears it clatter into the darkness below. She closes her eyes and awaits the inevitable. The door at the top of the stairs flies open once again.

"She came this way. Hey you there, who are you? Visiting time ended hours ago." Two male orderlies stand at the head of the stairs; one of them carries a syringe. They pause as they realise something is very wrong with the person stood before them.

The figure on the stairs lets go of Mina's hand and turns. "I've already fed for now, but it's foolish to waste a fresh meal when it's offered." He turns to face the orderlies. The he hold his hands out by his sides and the shadows around him spread slowly outward. Blotting out the lights as it passes over them.

Mina crawls forward with her eyes shut, not wanting to see what happens next. Her hand hits empty air and she overbalances rolling down the next flight of stairs in a painful series of rapid jolts. For a few moments she can only lay there stunned her entire body now a chorus of pain. She pushes her way through the door on this level and into a well lit corridor, the screams of the doomed orderlies echoing behind. Her only thought is of escape and she clings desperately to it. The corridor on this level is deserted with only half of the lights actually switched on. The closed canteen lies ahead of her.

She looks around for some place to hide. Her first thought is the kitchens in the canteen. The trouble was, the canteen would lead to a dead end and even in her current state, her training warns her against letting herself be cornered. The screaming behind her comes to an abrupt halt. Time is running out. She crawls to the elevator and somehow hits the button. Mercifully it is on this floor and sobbing with relief she drags herself in. She reaches up and hits a button at random past caring anymore.

With a lurch the lift moves. Mina forces herself to look at her right hand which has worryingly gone almost totally numb. Blood runs from her wrist from a cut almost two inches long. She clutches at the injury as best she can and waits for the doors to open.

On the fourth floor the door from the stairwell opens. The figure that emerges stands still for a moment with a crooked smile on his face. The girl was as good as dead now. A trail of blood leads to the left elevator and the lights above it show it coming to rest on the seventh. With a shrug the figure turns and begins climbing the stairs.

Mina gasps as the elevator lurches to a halt. Had she almost dozed off? Her exertions were already catching up with her; all she wanted to do now was rest. She hits another button and feels the lift start up again. She screams as something hits the side of the elevator. Whatever it is it's large and moving to the top where the escape hatch is. The lights inside the elevator are dimming. The doors slide open. The figure outside pauses them descends upon her.

"Mina? What happened to you?" Sailor Mars followed closely by Sailor Mercury rush in to help her. Mercury seeing the pool of blood on the floor and streaking the inner wall by the control panel looks franticly for the source of the blood flow.

Mina looks up for a second, then bursts into hysterical tears. Clinging to Mars as though she might disappear and sobbing unrestrainedly into her shoulder.

Mercury pulls the bow from the back of her costume and begins binding Mina's bleeding wrist. "Sailor Mars we have to get her help as soon as possible. She's lost a lot of blood and is going into shock."

"Fine but where can we go? That thing's in the building he could find us at any time."

"Good evening girls." Comes a low sinister voice. Looking up fearfully Mars and Mercury see the shadow wreathed figure walking slowly toward them. The shadows around him were becoming more animated. "Drawing out a death increases the pain and fear in victims and adds flavour but if you just surrender to me right now I promise that your deaths will be quick and clean."

"Fat chance you freak!" Mars yells back. She brings her hands together; index fingers pointed "Mars Fire Ig..."

"MARS DON'T!" Mercury screams. "We're inside a hospital. Not everyone can be moved. If you use your attack in here you could set this whole place alight."

"Clever girl." The figure remarks in a voice dripping sarcasm. "Now will you make the smart choice and give this pointless chase up?"

"Hardly, Mercury Bubble Blast!" The attack is launched quickly and without warning catching the creature flat footed. As the thick mist spreads Mercury yells to Mars. "Get Mina out of here." She pulls one of Mina's arms over her shoulder and Mars takes the other. They hurry to the only exit in sight.

"Where to now?" Mars pants as they drag Mina as fast as she'll go. They're in the stairwell.

"If we go to the roof we'll have room to fight and there will be less risk of others getting caught in the crossfire." Gasping they half pull half carry a semi-conscious Mina up the stairs. Below they hear the door fly off its hinges and splinter. The light bulbs in the stairwell begin to shatter in sequence the darkness rapidly gaining on them.

Mars delivers a powerful kick and the lock on the roof entrance gives at once. They place mina behind the entrance and race to face the doorway. A white shape darts out. Artemis carrying a transforming wand in his mouth. A bolt of darkness, now wrapped in electrical energy surges after him forcing Mars and Mercury to duck sideways to avoid it. The figure in pursuit dives through the door but Mars is prepared for him.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" The fireball scores a direct hit and the shape lands short. Then the figure rises walking through the flames.

"If that was all you've got then you are really in trouble." Another blast flies at Mars which she barely counters with a fireball.

"Mercury Bub…" A hand shoots out of the drifting smoke and catches Mercury by the head. The creature lifts her with one arm; the shadows closing over her head seem to be doing most of the work. Mercury struggles as the suffocating darkness envelops her. As Mars rushes forward to help the creature throws Mercury into her. Mercury's head collides with Mars' face with a sickening crunch and both girls go down.

The figure steps forward. "I told you it was pointless. I've absorbed enough energy this evening to overcome anything you can throw at me." He raises a hand the darkness gathering into a sphere of energy.

"Hold It!" The figure turns to see the source of the voice. "You're reign of terror is ending right here and right now. I'm not going to just stand here and let you hurt my friends. I'm Sailor Moon, and in the name of the moon. I'll punish you!"

The figure grins. "Cute." He turns and flings the deadly energy sphere directly at Sailor Moon.

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!"

The bolt of lightning intercepts the energy ball and Sailor Moon is joined by Sailor Jupiter.

"You again? Why don't you just die already?" He takes aim at Jupiter. And is knocked off balance by the fireball.

"Guy's we hit him together. Got it?" Mars yells. Her face now a mask of blood following a broken nose.

Jupiter and Mercury take up flanking positions.

"Mercury Bubble Blast!"

"Mars Fire Ignite!"

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!"

The jet of flame that flies forward is wrapped in electricity and a stream of bubbles snake around it. The figure stagers under the impact but remains upright.

It happens too quickly for anyone to react. Sailor Moon Jumps down already swinging her sceptre and gathering her energy. As she opens her mouth to deliver the final attack the figure lunges at her his hand just touches her face and he launches a bold of energy into her at point blank range.

Serena feels herself thrown backwards. The world seems to be moving in slow motion, and everything is oddly pain free except for her wrists. The edge of the rooftop rushes up past her and the world fades to black.

Ok now we're reaching the meat of the story. How long it ends up being is up in the air right now. This thing has a number of directions it could go in so I'll just let it evolve one chapter at a time. Thank you to those who have reviewed. Please keep them coming. Any suggestions, predictions please let me know.


	6. Awakened to the Ninghtmare

Hi there again. I know this is a very short chapter but it tells the story it needs to and sets up the second section of the story. As I have only recently acquired the Japanese episodes I am still more familiar with the English dub. For the remainder of this story I will compromise, trying to stick to events as they happened in the Japanese version and using a mix of English and Japanese names. For the sake of those not familiar with the drill by now this is a work of fiction (as if you couldn't tell). This story is mine please don't steal it. I don't own Sailor Moon. If the language upsets you I don't need to know I put the warning on page one.

With that out of the way, let's continue.

A Second Destiny

Chapter 5: Awakening into a Nightmare

With a moan Serena opens her eyes. For a few moments she looks around in confusion looking for the hospital rooftop and the others. Then slowly, the last of the dream fades away, to be replaced by painful reality.

How long had she been out anyway? A few hours at most by the feel of it, she had transformed back anyway, yet this time her dream had been so vivid, and packed with so much detail that it felt like it had lasted forever.

She tries to cling to the last fleeting moments of the dream. The same as she used to on cold school mornings in that period between waking up and getting up. Just a few more seconds of peace before she had to think about her situation again. Her mind however, was without mercy and the painful memories of the day began to surface through the fog.

That morning (_was it really only a few hours ago?) _she had been with the others at Hikawa Shrine, preparing themselves for a last assault against the Dark Kingdom and Queen Beryl.

Had the others known then? That they were most likely not returning from this one? They had seemed so cheerful, talking of their plans for when they got back. Had that only been a show for her benefit? She herself had realised it would be hard and dangerous but she had never expected the horrible reality of it.

They had arrived at the D-Point. The base of operations for the dark kingdom or Negaverse, which was located in the arctic wastes. Beryl had sent a group of monsters, calling themselves the DD Girls, to stop them. She had only been able to watch in horror as one by one the sailor scouts, her friends, had stepped in and tried to protect her. They had died because they believed it was her destiny to face Beryl and she couldn't be allowed to waste her strength on a minor battle.

She and Beryl did face off in the end. She was alone by then. All of her beloved friends were lying dead in the wasteland behind her. In Beryl's sanctum she had found her Prince Endiomon. He was once again a slave of the queen. Serena had tried her utmost to heal him, pouring all the energy she could into the silver crystal. In the Dark Kingdom however, her undeveloped powers had been too feeble to break the enchantment. Then Endiomon had attacked her on Queen Beryl's orders. He had beaten her down and then tortured her to the point of death without showing the slightest glimmer of recognition or emotion. With Beryl's taunts ringing in her ears she had made one last desperate attempt to free her Darien using her tiara. Better to free him at least in death, than to let him live forever a slave.

When even that desperate measure failed she had given in to despair. The dark energy that had enslaved him had made him as powerful as any of the generals. She couldn't beat him. Her locket had fallen open and its song had played. For a single glorious second of hope he had stopped in his tracks at the symbol of their love. She had begged with him to remember what they had had together. He had raised his sword, ready to destroy her last hope of reaching him. Then with terrible finality he had brought the blade down smashing the fragile piece of jewellery to pieces. She had been frozen in shock. The light of the silver crystal had gone out and she was now utterly alone. She had been the last, no, the only hope for this world and she had failed.

Beryl had changed her mind about killing her. They might need her in order to activate the silver crystal. Besides she seemed to feel that it would be more amusing to force her to witness the end of her world.

She sat on the floor of some chamber within the base. Every so often she thought she felt tremors running through the ground and walls. It was most likely nearing the end. The being beryl had referred to as Queen Metalia must be awakening. Her arms hurt from being suspended for too long and her wrists hurt from the manacles. They were connected by a length of chain which ran through a large iron ring above her. There was a little slack in the chains and she could just lower her arms halfway if she stood up on tiptoe.

Tears began running down her face once again, surprising her. She was sure she had cried herself out when she had been left in here by Darien. He had chained her up as blank as he had been when he tortured her. How could she have been so stupid? They had been fools to ever believe they could challenge an evil like this. Her friends, they had gone in with her so that they could protect her, and they had paid for it with their lives.

Lita, so strong and brave, reminded of her old boyfriend by just about every other guy out on the street. She had been surprised when Serena had approached her that first time, unafraid of her reputation.

Sweet, clever Ami, she had seemed so hurt when Serena and her classmates had poked fun at her on her first day. She had stood by Serena always and had tried to help her through her education.

Rei, with whom she had argued with ceaselessly since day one. Who in the end had used the absolute last of her strength to save her.

Mina the newest member and most intriguing member of the group, they had only just begun to know each other as friends. It was wrong that they were parted so soon.

These four wonderful people had believed in her as their leader. They had followed her into this nightmare, and had willingly died for her. All of it had been in vain. Beryl had the crystal. Her locket had been taken from her and there was no one she could call on the communicator for help. Her failure to stop the Negaverse had doomed not only her best friends but the entire world. Her parents, Sammy, Molly, Melvin, Grandpa, Chad, Andrew and countless others were going to die without ever knowing why.

The full weight of the situation finally overwhelmed her and she slumped to her knees, closed her eyes and waited for whatever end came.

Well I told you it was going to be short. Still it leaves me with the initial idea for the story. There is in face much more to come than I planned as the idea keeps evolving on its own. There could be a wait for the next chapter as the week ahead will be busy. I should have it up by next weekend at the latest. Please keep the reviews coming in as well as any suggestions/ predictions. Until next time then.

(Request) I have also begun working on another, more light hearted piece by providing commentary to some of the more popular episodes in the series. (Whether or not it will be a character commentary is undecided) If there are any favourite episodes you'd like considered please E-mail them to me. (Include episode number, season and title)


	7. Kingdoms At War

After requests from all of two people another chapter has been posted. I'd like to say thanks to those who have submitted reviews (myself excluded). The original ending for the story has undergone a revision so I was forced to have a look at the planned chapters and make some alterations so I could steer toward the new ending. In any case I'm sure most of you just skip this bit so all the usual disclaimers apply etc.

A Second Destiny

Chapter 6: Kingdoms at war

Serena finally lifts her head. She is exhausted. Her eyes are swollen from crying too hard. An hour has passed, maybe two. The tremors are becoming stronger and more frequent. From time to time she feels a sharp pain in her forehead which fades so fast she's left wondering if the pain is real or imagined.

"_What would the others say if they could see me here now?" _Serena wonders to herself. _"Rei would give me such an earful." _She could already imagine the scene, Rei shouting at her about her incompetence as a leader. To her surprise she actually laughed a little at the image. "_I really miss you guys."_

If she closed her eyes she could almost hear them. _"What the hell are you_ _doing? You're supposed to be here to stop Queen Beryl not sit moping around chained up in_ _here Serena!"_

_"Yeah! You know what it means to be a Sailor Scout. You never give up no matter how hard it gets."_

_"She's right girlfriend. You're the Moon Princess you're the only one who can do this. The future of our world depends on you."_

_"Come on Serena. There's always a way. You need to learn to slow down and look at the situation."_

Her friends had said that they would always be with her. They had died for her and she couldn't let that be for nothing. She had to think her way out if she was to have any chance of escape.

She takes a good look at her surroundings. The chamber was carved into some sort of rock and was fairly small, which made sense for a prison cell. There was a barred door of some sort. The gaps were narrow but she thought she might just be able to squeeze through.

That was a problem for later. Whether or not she could get out through the door was irrelevant unless she could get herself off of the wall. There was a large iron loop stuck into the wall just above her head. Through this loop ran a length of heavy chain around three feet long. The chain had manacles at each end and these were obviously attached to her wrists.

She takes a closer look at the manacles. They were bulky iron things with no obvious locking mechanism. She thought her hands were small enough to just slide the manacles off. They certainly looked like they would fit through the large iron loop. If she could get just one hand free she could slide the whole thing through and at least be able to move away from the wall. Beyond that she didn't really have much of a clue, but her plan was enough to be getting on with for the time being.

She looks at her hands for a few moments and decides on her right hand. She takes a few deep steadying breaths, bunches her fingers together and pulls down hard. The pain is immediate as the manacle slides a short way up her hand to just before her knuckles. She pulls harder her body trembling with the effort, ignoring the worsening pain and feels the ring slip a fraction of an inch further. She opens one eye to see what was left and her heart lifts slightly. There was only an eight of an inch left, perhaps less. She increases the pressure trying to force her fingers still closer together. The pain is now close to what she is no longer bear and a part of her mind wonders dimly if her wrist would fracture before she got this damn thing off. She lets out a scream of mingled pain and effort and pulls downwards with all her might. Then finally she lets up sobbing helplessly as she lets the ring slide back to her wrist. It was hopeless. She had stopped not because it hurt, but because she knew she had pulled with all the strength her body could provide and it hadn't been enough. The worst part was by how small a margin she had failed. As little as a sixteenth of an inch prevented her from freeing that last little ridge of bone that held her here

_"Serena you can' wimp out and give up at the first hurdle just because it hurts a little. Maybe there's another way to get down." _Rei's voice sounds so clearly that Serena stops crying to look around. She sees the iron ring above her and her brow furrows in thought. Perhaps she could pull the loop from the wall. It looked pretty worn. She would still have a heavy iron loop to carry around and her hands would still be chained together but she would deal with that when the time came.

She turns to face the wall crossing the chain in the process. She takes a good hold of the loop and tugs hard against it.

She knows that this plan won't work from the first tug. No matter what the loop looks like it is solidly built into the wall and she can't move it in the slightest. Another tremor, the most violent yet causes her to lose her footing and she falls, spinning around with the chains and banging her head painfully against the wall.

Time is clearly running out. There has to be a way to get out of here. Somehow or another she needs to get this manacle off of her hand. A lubricant might make the difference. Blood would do, if she could get hold of something sharp she might be able to…

_"Stop Serena!"_ That was definitely Ami's voice_ "Don't you think you're going about this the wrong way? There has to be a way that won't weaken you still further."_

"What is it!" She cries out in frustration. "They took my transformation broach and the Crystal. I don't have anything that would help. I…" She stops mid sentence and reaches for her pockets. By raising one arm above her head she can just about reach the side pocket of her coat. Her fingers close around a familiar object and with a wave of relief that leaves her feeling faint she pulls out the Luna Disguise Pen. She's never used it in this way before and there is no guarantee it will work now, but she has to try.

"Disguise Power! Please turn me into a little kid or something." Miraculously she feels the changes take place. Her hands slip easily through the manacles and she lands in a heap on the floor. She looks down to see that the pen has transformed her into a younger version of herself. Around about seven years old or so.

Still checking her hands every few seconds as though unable to believe she's really free, Serena crosses her cell and inspects the door. The gaps between the bars are extremely narrow. Gingerly she sticks her head against the bars at a point only a few inches from the ground and pushes forward. By twisting onto her side as she goes, she is able to get her head through the bars. Over the course of five minutes she slowly forces her shoulders and upper body through the bars. With a horizontal bar between her body and the ground her position is uncomfortable to the point of being painful, but her determination to escape keeps her moving regardless. Lying as flat as she can she rests for a few moments.

_"Ok then Serena." _She thinks to herself _"You never believed you'd ever get this far. Question is what do you plan on doing next?"_ She thinks about this for a while. Without being able to transform into Sailor Moon her ability to fight was limited. Well ok it wasn't as if she had done a great deal against Darien, or Endiomon as he was known here, but she had to try.

The Silver Crystal was the key. She had to get that back at all costs. Her friends had died to protect her and the crystal. The forces of the Dark Kingdom had been set on finding her stealing the crystal since she had first found it, and before that there had been the fight to obtain the rainbow crystals.

Another tremor felt through the ground shakes her out of her thoughts. Time was running out fast. She began dragging the rest of her body through the bars. There was a frightening moment where she believed she was stuck halfway. She pulls hard wriggling as she goes and her butt finally slips through the gap. She gets to her feet in the passage and cancels her disguise. Her head still hurts from being smacked into the wall. If anything the pain was getting sharper rather than duller as time went on.

Without knowing exactly why she feels as though she is being pulled to the left. The sensation is warm and comforting; it reminds her faintly of home.

"_It's the Silver Crystal."_ She realises._ "It must be calling to me as heir of the Moon Kingdom."_ She walks slowly hugging the walls and sticking to the shadows. She can almost feel the presence of the crystal in her mind like a hook guiding her forward. Twice she is forced to duck into an alcove squeezing her eyes shut as footsteps pass by her.

Up ahead there is a flickering light. Serena pauses frowning. The warm presence in her head is it is overshadowed by a new force, something far darker.

Creeping up to the cavern entrance Serena peers in and freezes. There is a large structure at the far end of the chamber which looks something out of a nightmare. Sort of like a badly distorted skull. A large glass basin filled with liquid makes up the bottom of the structure. Inside is something dark and fluid that resembles liquid smoke. On an alter before the structure is the Crescent moon wand and the Silver Crystal. To Serena's shock and horror Queen Beryl stands over the wand pouring dark energy onto the Crystal. Serena watches for a few moments, hypnotised by the way waves of darkness emanating from Beryl's hands break against the Crystal's light. Serena can feel the forces struggling against each other, the way the energy of the Silver Crystal is slowly but surely changing and flowing into the structure. By her side kneels Prince Endimion. He looks up into her face with an expression of complete devotion.

_"This is it." _Serena thinks grimly. In all her life she has never known a determination like this. She knew she couldn't possibly get to the crystal with both of them there, but for the sake of the world, her friends, her Darien. She was going to get that crystal or die trying.

Summoning more courage than she thought possible Serena charges forward. The focus of the thing in the basin turns to her, shocked by her unexpected appearance Beryl's first attack is wild and shatters the wall to the left.

"Endimion stop her. Kill her if need be!" Beryl screams. She flings another bolt of energy this time catching Serena a glancing hit.

She screams with pain as the dark energy burns her but doesn't break stride. _"I don't care what happens to me anymore. I'm not going to let you win you bitch!" _She thinks savagely.

A sudden motion beside her catches her attention. Serena looks up in time to see Endimion running at her. He draws his sword and leaps into the air. She only has a few feet to go. She lowers her head and runs harder.

The rose flies through the air with deadly accuracy. It find's its mark striking her in the middle of the back, blood sprays from her mouth and she stumbles her run becoming clumsy. There was no pain, only a sudden, terrible weariness which threatened to overwhelm her. Her vision was fading and she could hear Beryl's laughter coming from far away. Willpower alone carries her the last few steps onto the alter. She falls forward onto the wand cradling it to herself in a last effort to keep the Silver Crystal away from Beryl.

A blinding flash of brilliant energy comes from the Crystal, filling the chamber and everything in it. Queen Beryl screams as the searing light burns into her, her form falling apart as a massive surge of cleansing energy destroys her body. Endimion is thrown back against a support pillar which crumbles and he slumps to the ground.

Serena stands up slowly the pain gone, the rose in her back burned to nothing by the light. Her clothes vanish to be replaced with a flowing white dress. The symbol of a crescent moon glows brightly on her forehead. The wand floats to her hand and she stands on the alter, surrounded by a nimbus of bright light.

"GREETINGS PRINCESS SERENITY. WE MEET AGAIN. I AM QUEEN METALLIA RULAR OF THE DARK KINGDOM."

Serenity's eyes snap into focus. When she speaks her voice is cold with fury. "I remember. You are going to pay for what you have done to the Moon Kingdom."

"I THINK NOT PRINCESS." Metallia's voice is utterly unafraid. "ENDIMION KILL HER AND BRING THE SILVER CRYSTAL TO ME."

Finally Chapter 6 complete. That took a lot longer than I thought it would. A pretty full social calendar didn't help matters any. Well I hope most people who stumble across this story are enjoying it. Next chapter answers a couple of questions for those who have been asking. Chapter 7 is intended for posting in the middle of the week. Please keep the comments coming and I'll be back with the next chapter as soon as I finish it.


	8. Worlds Collide

Wow I finally updated the story. With another birthday behind me I'm able to finish off the chapter. I have to admit the Japanese episodes are growing on me. For this story at least I'll remain with the English attacks and names. As is always the case this is a work of fiction and I still don't own Sailor Moon.

A Second Destiny

Chapter 7: Worlds Collide

"Sailor Moon! Look out!"

As Sailor Moon's body flies backwards beyond the edge of the hospital roof Sailor Jupiter charges forward. Desperately, she throws herself forward, skinning both knees and almost winding herself. She grabs blindly just catching hold of Sailor Moon's outstretched arm. The sudden jolt is almost enough to break Jupiter's grip.

Flinging a blast into Mercury and Mars, the figure advances on her as she struggles to haul Serena's dead weight up on to the rooftop.

He draws back a hand, already gathering energy for an attack on the prone Jupiter, who is unable to move or prevent it without dropping Sailor Moon.

"Die." He hisses quietly.

He unleashes the blast as something strikes him from behind. Jupiter closes her eyes against the heat and shrapnel from the blast which misses her head by inches. The shield around around the figure buckles and almost breaks as dark energy crackles around the point of impact. A rose with almost all of the petals missing drops to the ground. Standing above the rooftop entrance is Tuxedo Mask. The long cape flares out in the breeze and another rose is already in his hands.

"Who do you think you are to terrorise helpless girls in a hospital. You have already caused too much suffering and have killed innocents. I will not allow this to continue." He throws a second rose at the figure it strikes the shield in a burst of energy. The figure staggers back drops to one knee.

"You've gotten lucky this time." He spits at them "Enjoy what little time you have left. Next time we meet you won't walk away." He steps calmly off of the roof dropping to the rooftops below.

Tuxedo Mask races to follow but halts at the cry behind him.

"Help me. I can't hold her much longer!"

Jupiter now leans part way over the edge with both hand wrapped around Sailor Moon's. The glove has slid partway off and it is all Jupiter can do to prevent her friend from falling.

Tuxedo Mask looks after their retreating enemy for just a moment before running to help. With Sailor Moon safely in the rooftop the Scouts gather together.

Mercury brings down her visor and begins checking over Serena. "I think she'll be ok." She announces a minute later. "I'm not sure what that guy did to her but she isn't injured or even marked in any way, she's only unconscious."

"Well now what do we do?" Mars asks trying to stem the flow of blood with one hand.

"We have to move quickly and sort out some cover stories if we plan to keep our secret identites secret." Mercury states reasonably. "I'll be ok and so will Lita, but Rei and Mina in particular are all going to have problems if we can't cover up for them."

"That's true." Artemis says "Mina's left a trail of blood through the building and three dead bodies on the stairs. I can't see how she can talk her way out of this."

Jupiter comes over to join them. She has Mina's arm draped over her shoulders. "Mina could tell most of the truth. The guy showed up in her room. She ran into the hallway and the nurse on duty and the orderlies got in the way when the guy followed her. She fell down the stairs and managed to get the lift. She took it up one level and hid back in her room. After all who would think to follow her there?"

Tuxedo Mask frowns. "Are you sure you'll be able to remember all that Mina?"

She nods shakily. "I think so but do I really have to stay?" She looks at them imploringly. "That guy knows I'm a sailor scout. What if he comes back? "

Mercury puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Mina you know we can't explain your leaving the hospital. Besides, I don't think he'll try anything else tonight. We'll leave the communicators on constantly and one of us will keep watch over your room at all times."

Mina looks at her knees for a few moments, and then wiping her eyes looks up with a nod of consent. "I understand guys. It's ok I'll be fine."

"What about you Rei?" Jupiter asks passing Mina to Tuxedo Mask. "How on earth are you going to explain a broken nose without bringing your grandpa under more suspicion?"

Rei looks up, her front now soaked in blood. "Don't worry about me. I'll figure something out." She says grimly. "What are we going to do about Serena?"

Mercury pulls the locket away from Sailor Moon and watches silently as she transforms back into Serena. "She's wearing her pyjamas so the best we can do for the moment is smuggle her back to her house and put her to bed. I'll call by at her house tomorrow morning and see if she's awake."

"You girls get yourselves some rest." Tuxedo mask directs. "I'll keep watch over Mina until morning."

The scouts give a nod and go their separate ways.

After lighting the fire for a bath, Rei silently slides her way into the temple and makes her way to the bathroom. She checks the time as she goes. It's almost Eleven thirty at night. She runs a bath and pauses. It's a little unusual for her to be taking a bath this late, but not impossible. She has a sudden stroke of inspiration and sneaks over to Chad's bedroom. There is still light visible, so she knocks lightly.

There are soft footsteps from the other side and the door slides open halfway. "Rei?" Chad asks in a whisper, obviously confused by her late visit. "What are you doing here this late? Is everything ok?"

Rei stays back keeping herself in the shadows of the hallway. "I'm ok, but I really need your help Chad, Please."

"Sure, anything you need."

Rei sighs and swallows her guilt. "Look I took a fall on the Temple steps a few minutes ago. My nose is bleeding and I think it may be broken. The problem is someone made some allegations against Grandpa and if I just go to the hospital he'll be under suspicion no matter what I say." She pauses, waiting for a response from Chad. When he remains silent she continues. "I need you to come with me and say you heard me fall in the bathroom. You came to help me and Grandpa was nowhere near. Ok?"

Chad hesitates and then nods slowly. "Alright I'll do it. But Rei why do you need to lie? And why is your grandpa under investigation from a group of social workers?"

"I'll explain everything to you later, I promise, but right now we need to deal with this. Go wait by the bathroom for me."

Moments later Rei slides the bathroom door closed with Chad waiting for her signal outside. She removes her clothes and gets into the bath. She is determined to catch all the loose ends and leave no room for doubt that grandpa wasn't involved in her accident. She looks at the edge of the bath and hesitates at the thought of what she knows is coming next. She takes the end of a towel and bites down on it. With trembling hands she reaches up to take a gentle hold of her nose, and then with a sudden sharp motion, twists it sideways. She bites back a scream of pain as blood again sprays around the edge of the bath and into the water. Her eyes are streaming with tears as she climbs out and pulls a towel tightly around herself. She knocks on the door and Chad enters with his jacket in his arms. He throws it around Rei's shoulders and hands her a smaller towel to press to her nose. They collect their shoes and Rei takes hold of Chad's arm as they begin walking to the hospital.

At the Tsukino household all was quiet. The window to Serena's bedroom was already wide open. Sailor Mercury leaps through carrying Serena and lands lightly by the bed. Quickly she pulls back the sheets and places the unconscious girl into her bed. She pulls the sheets back up and places the locket containing the Silver Crystal on the cabinet next to the bed. Luna takes up her place at the foot of the bed and nods to Mercury.

As Mercury turns to leave Serena stirs and mumbles incoherently. Mercury and Luna watch her for a few moments hoping for a sign that she'll wake up but she settles and lies still again.

"Go on Ami I'll look after her." Luna says in a hushed voice. "You need to rest too you know."

"You're right Luna." Mercury admits. "I'll come back in the morning to check on her." She walks to the window and with a last look back disappears into the night.

Unnoticed by anyone, a dark figure stands in the shadows by the side of the house watching Mercury's arrival and departure in silence.

"ENDIOMON KILL HER AND BRING THE SILVER CRYSTAL TO ME!"

Princess Serenity and Prince Endiomon stand facing each other across the

alter. The liquid form of the awakening Queen Metallia watching over them

Endiomon draws his sword and points it at Serenity. "Prepare to die Princess." His eyes and voice are as cold as ever, carrying no trace of human warmth even in the face of the princess he once loved.

Wordlessly Endiomon leaps forward, bringing the blade down in a powerful arc. Serenity brings the wand around stopping the blow. Endiomon puts his weight behind the blade and presses down. Serenity struggles against him as the tip of the sword inched toward her. There is a surge of energy from the crystal, Endiomon is driven back and the sword shatters along with the end of the crescent moon on the wand.

When she stands again, Serenity's eyes are focused, determined. She raises the wand to chest height. "Endiomon, for the sake of all those who I love and in the name of those who have died to protect me, I will not allow you to take the crystal." She raises the remains of the wand above her head. "Moon Healing Escalation!"

The ancient power of the Silver Crystal gathers for a moment before washing over the Prince. He charges forward even as the dark energy within him combats the cleansing energy of the crystal. Serenity ducks the broken blade as it flashes past her head and drives the wand forward, channelling more energy as she does. Endiomon stops as the vicious point of the broken wand pierces his body just below the ribs. There is a moment where time is frozen; Serenity looks in horror at her hands as Endiomon's blood suddenly covers them. The crystal gives a final pulse and the prince falls slowly to the side. Serenity feels the impact of the energy she has expended and slumps to her knees at his side.

"Serena"

"Serenity…." He manages as blood also trickles from his mouth. Despite the pain evident in his eyes he manages to smile. "You did it. You…." He coughs twice and is still.

Serenity kneels over him, her tears flowing freely now. She leans forward and kisses him once lightly, then screams as burning pain sears across her back.

"YOU ARE A FOOL MOON PRINCESS. THE SILVER CRYSTAL WAS YOUR ONLY CHANCE AND YOU WASTED ITS POWERS AND YOUR STRENGH TO HEAL ENDIOMON. YOU HAVE WASTED YOUR ONLY CHANCE OF RESISTING ME. NOW DIE!"

"Serena"

Serenity looks up as a wave of pure darkness races toward her. She raises the Crystal wearily, as the darkness consumes her.

The following evening there is a hushed meeting in Mina's room at the hospital. Ami, Lita, Darien, Luna and Artemis are gathered around Mina's bed.

Mina was looking tired and depressed. Police investigators had been in to see her, and although she had stuck to her story she sensed their suspicion.

"This is not going well." Lita says glumly "Serena's family brought her in this morning. They haven't been able to wake her up. I hate to say it but if we don't figure out what we're dealing with and how to stop it, this could be the end of the Sailor Scouts."

"We haven't heard from Rei yet." Artemis says. "I just hope she's ok."

The communicator beeps into life. Mina answers it.

"Guys are you anywhere near a TV?" Rei's voice is slightly muffled. "Get to one now." Darien flips the switch on the portable set and places it on the bed for everyone to see.

The broadcast shows the burning wreckage of a building in the downtown area. The announcement from the set causes them to freeze. "…earlier today. The students were evacuated as the school has been almost completely destroyed. At present there are still seven students and two members of staff unaccounted for. Several others have been admitted to nearby hospitals, many in critical condition."

"That's Rei's school!" Lita gasps in shock. The girls stare at the ruined building in horror as the broadcast appeals for anyone with information to come forward. Darien turns the television off and the group stare at each other in silence.

End of chapter seven. I know it took a while but it got here in the end. Due to being back at work I'll be slowing down on the posts but I will keep them coming. Keep an eye out at the weekends. Please let me know what you think and I'll see you next chapter.


	9. Change of Strategy

First up I'm sorry this chapter has taken so long. Being back at work has been a lot harsher than I expected. It didn't help that this chapter had to be rewritten at least twice. Well it's posted now so I hope someone out there enjoys it.

Second I've looked through the story and decided that it doesn't quite warrant an M rating. From now on I'll place a warning for strong language at the start of relevant chapters.

The usual disclaimers arrive. Don't post without asking, I don't own Sailor Moon, yadda, yadda. Etc.

Please send reviews and let me know what you think.

A Second Destiny

Chapter 8: Change of strategy

Amongst the smoking wreckage of the school building Rei struggles to rise. There was something incredibly heavy across her back and legs. She thought it might be the desk from the office. She stopped pushing as a wave of pain ran across her back. She tried moving her legs and to her immense relief there was feeling. Her back was a mess though. She could feel something sharp stuck into her shoulders. She blinks repeatedly trying to clear her vision.

Ahead of her a group of younger girls run past. They are too panicked to notice her pinned in the rubble. Thick clouds of black smoke rise from numerous small fires.

An explosion rips the air apart as one of the emergency vehicles vanishes in a burst of dark energy and Rei buries her head as chunks of broken metal fly past. Cries from injured people come from nearby. Rei tries once more to shift the weight pinning her. It's hopeless, from her position she just doesn't have the leverage to free herself. She can remember flashes of the attack and isn't sure she wants to remember. She closes her eyes as, against her wishes the details of what had happened come back to her.

The attack had come without warning. Rei had been called to an office where two social workers had wanted to talk with her about her recent injuries. She was already exhausted after the battle the night before and then several unpleasant hours in the hospital, she had tried to look uninterested as several police cars came screaming by. The night had not been a fun experience and the last thing she needed was to be interrogated by some stupid counsellors who seemed determined to pin something on her grandfather. They had begun asking probing questions about how her nose had been broken. Despite her cover story it had been obvious that neither of the workers believed a word she said.

The questioning had been brought to an abrupt end when the fire alarm began shrieking. One of the counsellors had run to the door. An explosion from somewhere nearby had rocked the building and she had ducked back inside the office with a shriek.

Rei had stepped into the hallway as a girl she knew from the year above ran past screaming. The back of her uniform was ablaze. Without pausing to think Rei had thrown herself onto the older girl knocking them both to the ground, using her own body to smother the flames. As the flames were extinguished the sprinkler system had kicked into life, drenching both of them and cutting through the other girl's hysteria.

"Run, get out of here now!" Rei rose slowly to her feet wincing at the pain across stomach from the numerous minor burns. She had watched the girl scramble down the corridor before turning back to the office.

The shriek from behind had caused her to turn. An all too familiar figure had stood there holding a younger student by the head. The shadows had flared out for a moment and the girl's body had contorted horribly before she was discarded. The figure had turned and caught sight of Rei. She ducked hurriedly back into the office as a blast of energy just missed her. The two counsellors were still in the office hiding behind the desk.

Rei had hesitated, helpless to do anything. She had known that if she transformed she could have stopped the attack, or at least drawn the monster away from the school. But she couldn't transform into Sailor Mars with the counsellors in the room. She looked up in shock as another loud scream came from the hallway outside. She was on her feet with her transformation wand in her hand before stopping herself.

"_What do I do now?" _She thought in frustration. _"If I transform in here my secret identity will be blown, but I can't just let someone die" _She stood and raised the wand above her head as the terrified counsellors stared at her in shock. "Mars Power Trans…"

Another blast took the door off of its hinges and caught Rei in the back. She had fallen behind the desk as the figure, wrapped in shadows had entered dragging the prone form of anther girl in school uniform behind him.

"Let go of her you monster!" Rei looked in surprise up as one of the counsellors ran at the figure and beat her fists on the barrier of shadows. She looked over her shoulder at Rei. "Miss Hino, Run and save yourself!" The figure looked at her with eyes that now blazed red and raised a hand. The woman screamed as the darkness wrapped around her. Her feet had lifted slowly off the floor as the figure had grinned and made a sudden violent gesture. Rei's eyes had widened in shock as the counsellor's body had snapped backwards with a sickening crack. The unfortunate woman's screams had stopped and blood now ran from her mouth. Rei had closed her eyes, not wanting to see what happened next. There had been another series of loud cracks and a final thud.

Something had moved past Rei and she opened her eyes in time to see the other counsellor crawl franticly for the door. The figure had turned after her, stepping over the mangled forms of his other victims. The woman stumbled and fell into the corner of the office.

Rei had stood pulling an ofuda from a pocket in her uniform. "Rin-byou-tou-sha-kai-jin-retsu-za-zen, evil spirits begone!" She had thrown the charm at the figure and it had stuck. He had frozen yelling in anger and shock as the charm stopped him in his tracks. For a few seconds he had stood there, and then the dark energy increased dramatically. Rei remembered being thrown back like a rag doll as the world fell about her ears.

"C'mon Mercury, we need to get there fast." Jupiter gasped. The two scouts leap from building to building, preying that Rei isn't one of the dead.

"What exactly are we planning to do when we get there?" Mercury manages between gasps. "We're not strong enough to stop that thing by ourselves."

"That doesn't matter. There are too many lives at stake; we have to try even if we can't win."

Still trapped under the rubble, Rei looks up slowly as she hears the footsteps approach. The figure leans over her, his expression unreadable. The shadows around him are thicker, almost solid. _"Probably because he's just fed."_ She thinks to herself. He leans over and takes her face in his hands. His touch is gentle almost tender as he tilts her face up to his own. Rei feels her energy leaving her as she shadows wash over her. _"Everyone. I'm sorry I couldn't help you stop him. Take care of Grandpa for me."_

Without warning the figure releases her as though she had given him an electric shock or something and steps back. The aura around him draws in close and his expression is shocked, confused.

"That energy, it's familiar. I know you don't I?" He asks more to himself than her. "You're like me aren't you?"

He raises his hand and Rei feels the dark energy envelop her once more. It's different this time, there is none of the draining she had felt before. She forces her eyes to focus and sees the figure's face twist into a crooked smile.

"Well miss Hino, It seems you get to live a while longer. Your classmates have satisfied my hunger and I now have another one of the leads I've been searching for." He turns without another word and begins to walk away

"Hold it right there!" Hearing Jupiter's voice, Rei looked up. She didn't know whether to be relieved or afraid for her friends.

"Schools are a place for learning. I Sailor Mercury won't forgive you for your actions."

"We are sailor soldiers of love and justice. I'm Sailor Jupiter and we won't allow you to hurt anyone else."

"As if you could stop me!" The figure yells throwing a ball of dark electrical energy. Mercury and Jupiter are already in the air, obviously anticipating this attack. Jupiter lands next to Rei while Mercury lowers her visor and faces off against the enemy.

"Mercury Bubble Blast!" She cries out as the bubbles fly into the shield. The answering blast misses her but tears clean through a teacher who is trying to ensure all of the students are clear of the danger. The teacher stands for a moment looking down I shock at the hole which had been burned through her body before slowly collapsing Seeing red Ami reaches deep inside herself and launches another attack. "MERCURY ICE BUBBLES FREEZE!"

The bubbles strike the figure and form almost instantly into an ice sculpture. Mercury looks at the computer taking energy readings then looks up in horror "Jupiter hurry up. I need your help over here. The ice isn't going to hold him!"

With a final heave Jupiter raises the desk long enough for Rei to crawl out. "Go on. Mercury needs you. I'll be there in a second." As Jupiter nods and runs off to join the fight Rei pulls the transforming wand and raises it. "Mars Power Transform!"

The ice cracks as the energy contained within increases. "Jupiter Thunder Crash!" the figure is thrown to the ground as the ice shatters. He throws another bolt of energy which catches Jupiter a glancing blow. She falls clutching the burn.

"Hold it! You've come here and killed people for no reason other than they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm Sailor Mars and I will punish you."

She brings her hands together. "Mars Fire Ignite!"

The figure unleashes a flame of his own, these flames are black but the heat is just as real. The two fires connect and the dark fire blows through Rei's attack. Rei watches in surprise as Mercury steps before her and takes the blast full on. Ami stands frozen, screaming in agony as the fires burn her.

"AMI!" Rei stands her eyes full of furious tears. "This time you've gone too far!" she throws an ofuda at the figure and cries out her attack. "MARS FIREBIRD STRIKE!"

"JUPITER THUNDER DRAGON!" Jupiter cries, adding her full power to Mars'

The figure stops his attack on Mercury, and throws up a shield around himself. Mars' bird of flame and Jupiter's dragon of thunder circle together forming a great winged dragon which is neither flame nor lightning, but a fearsome combination of both which lunges down with unstoppable fury. For a few second the outcome seems in doubt as raw energy splashes in all directions, he drops to his knees under the force of the attacks. _"Shit_ _they're still too powerful. I can't attack them as a group_._" _The downpour of energy finally ends and the figure quickly stands up before them. He's dangerously weak now and knows it. He raises his hand and draws power together for another attack unable to let his opponents know how badly the last attack weakened him.

"I can't believe this." Jupiter gasps "What does it take to stop this guy?"

"More than any of you has." The figure replies his voice calm and unshaken."Mercury Bubble Blast!" The attack hits from the side knocking the figure back to the ground. Mercury collapses having spent the last of her energy. To the surprise of the others the figure scrambles to his feet, turns and runs using the mist to screen his escape.

"We've got to get after him." Mars insists. Jupiter grabs her friend's arm.

"It's too dangerous. The two of us aren't enough to put him away." She turns and hoists Mercury onto her back. "Besides we have to get Mercury some help. We're just lucky we stopped that attack quickly, before she was seriously hurt."

"I'm ok really." Mercury manages. "We've got to get back to the hospital and regroup."

The figure stands alone on a rooftop overlooking the school. The crumpled body of a fire-fighter lies at his feet. He watches the confusion below in silence as the dark aura drains the last of the life energy from his victim. _"Those blasted sailor soldiers are simply too dangerous to face as a group. I'll need to isolate them and kill them one at a time. They will be keeping a watch over Sailor Venus at the hospital, but now I know Sailor Mercury's real name is Ami it will fairly easy to establish her real identity. So I'll start there."_ He turns and leaves the scene slowly. Next time there would be no mistakes.

That's it for now; I hope it was worth the wait. The next chapter should be up in a week or so. Any suggestions, advice or other comments please E-mail or post a review.


	10. Darkness Reborn

**Boring bit that no one ever reads**

Sorry about the delay, I'm afraid it's the same reason a lot of writers give, life has a tendency to get in the way. I haven't abandoned the story and I'll try to keep the updates regular as best I can.

I'd like to than those people who sent me reviews. It really encourages you to keep writing if you know others are reading your work I know that I've said it before but that's because it's still true.

All the usual disclaimers apply so I'll let you read the story now.

A Second Destiny

Chapter 9: Darkness Reborn

"What the hell are you? Get away from me."

The young man stumbles backwards over the garbage landing in a heap among the trash cans. He scoots backwards with his feet pushing himself up against the wall. His glasses hang from one ear and his eyes are wide and full of terror.

"Will you stop being so tiresome." The figure in the darkness advances on the cowering young man. "You have a gift. Something I need, which you have wasted on petty games, winning worthless prizes from crane machines. It's time for me to release your true potential for my own ends." The figure's eyes take on a deep red glow and the shadows in the side ally deepen.

"What are you talking about?" The young man's voice quavers and is shrill with panic. "I don't have any gift. You've got the wrong person."

The figure chuckles softly. "You were one of the seven carriers of the rainbow crystals and were one of the great monsters of the Dark Kingdom." He pauses for a moment, standing over his target before continuing. "Unfortunately that hateful Moon Princess sealed the monster in you away, rendering it little more than a shadow. I'm going to take that sealed power and add it to my own." The figure's tone softens becoming almost sympathetic. "I'm afraid you will not survive the process, but that's life I'm afraid."

The ally is suddenly awash with dark energy. "Join with me now Geisein and be free to take your revenge on the people of Silver Millennium." There is a sudden terrible scream which is lost in the storm and then silence falls over the ally way.

"Ok let's try to put together what we know."

The girls are gathered around Serena's hospital bed. Mina is present in a wheelchair with Artemis on her lap. Ami is reading the gathered data from her computer.

The sky outside is dark and rain lashes at the windows along with frequent deafening rumbles of thunder. Even though they are indoors the girls are confident that they can talk with little chance of being overheard.

"During our last battle I kept the scanner running as long as I could. Our enemy appears to be draining huge quantities of energy simply to survive. He's putting huge amounts of energy even when he's not attacking. I've also been receiving two different energy patterns each time I've scanned him."

"So what's that mean Ami?" Rei asks.

"I can only offer a theory but I believe that we're actually dealing with two different enemies. The shadows which he uses are not generated by him so much as joined to him in a symbiotic or possibly parasitic relationship. It might explain why he needs to steal energy so frequently. If another creature is joined to him it presumably needs to feed and the only source it has is its host."

"I think it's a voluntary union though." Rei says "Every time I've seen him he's seemed in control at all times." She paces the room thinking hard. "When I consulted the Sacred Flame I got an impression that our enemy was tied into our past. That could mean it's from the Silver Millennium or it might be something more recent."

"What he is isn't important." Lita says rising to her feet. "What we need to do is find a way to beat him. We've also got to find some way to help Serena." She looks down at her friend, lying as though sleeping, but utterly unresponsive to any attempt to wake her.

"How do we stop him when our attacks can barely slow him down?" Mina asks.

"I have an idea how to stop him." Ami says. "He can block our attacks but doing so is a large drain on his powers. If we can stop him from stealing any more energy and force him to use his powers we should be able to burn him out. Anything will do, attacking him or getting him to throw attacks at us."

"Ok but that still means we need to find him." Lita says

"He came to the hospital to finish me off because he knows I'm Sailor Venus." Mina suggests "If we can convince him I'm an easy target we might be able to lure him into the open."

"By using yourself as bait!" Lita asks incredulously. "That's way too dangerous. You know that guy's not playing around, we can't risk it."

Mina sits forward in her chair, her face betraying her pain, but her eyes are sharp, determined. "It's even more dangerous for me to remain here. He could come back here were there are helpless people in the way. You know he'd use that against us. He could also figure out Serena is Sailor Moon if he thinks to access the hospital records." She looks at the others, when she next speaks it is as the leader of the Sailor Soldiers. "We can't risk the innocent people or Serena. I need someone to check me out of here so we can set a trap and bring this creep down."

"How do we check you out of the hospital?" Lita asks, "Don't your parents have some say in that?"

"If I have somewhere to stay they won't object." Mina replies, looking down at her feet as she speaks. "They'll probably be glad they don't need to be burdened with me for a few more days."

Rei sighs "Chad and Grandpa are heading up into the Mountains for a few days. I can stay behind and you can come to stay at the temple with me." She looks over at Darien. "We'll need you to stay here with Luna to keep an eye on Serena. Mina's right, that guy could figure out who she is and come after her here."

"Ok then girls, we'll give it a shot. Take care and good luck."

It's late at night when Ami finally gets home. She stretches and yawns, the long nights where beginning to catch up with her. She flicks on a lamp and prepares to settle down for a few hours with some light reading. As she heads to the kitchen to prepare a hot drink she notices that the message light on the answering machine is blinking. She presses the button and drops her coat in shock as a familiar voice speaks to her.

"Miss Ami this is Greg. I really wish I could have called you under better circumstances but you need to know what's going on. Your enemy is looking for the seven monsters of the Dark Kingdom. He's already found two and I'll be next on his list. You have to tell Miss Rei to keep a very close eye on her Grandfather. Your enemy already suspects that he is another of the monsters that he is searching for. I won't tell you where I am. I know you want to help me but you can only fail this time. I'll stay on the move and draw the chase out as long as possible to buy you some time. I'm sorry it has to be this way. Goodbye Ami. " There is a bleep as the message ends.

Ami seizes up the phone and tries to obtain the number of the last caller. It's a payphone somewhere in the city. She remembers the time a brainwashed Endimion had been doing the same thing, seeking the former monsters. Greg had acted the same way then too, hiding and refusing to come out and ask for help in some noble effort to protect her.

After calling then others on the communicators to inform them of this new development Ami tries to plan her next move. Greg could be anywhere in the city and it could take forever to find him especially with him constantly moving to avoid detection. She decides to ask Rei to try and locate Greg with a fire reading. In the meantime she would look into the whereabouts of the other former monsters. If Greg was right about the enemy's plans, and with his ability to see the future it was pretty likely he was, then they need to know where they could intercept him. Besides Greg there was Rei's grandfather who would be at the Hikawa Shrine. She also needs to check up on the cat Hercules who's owner lived uptown, a young man who frequented the video arcades by the name of Joe who Lita may still have some contact with, the artist Peggy Jones, the priest who she had never met and Andrew's girlfriend Rita, who had left for Africa several months ago.

She was also worried about Greg. The way he had spoken implied he had seen himself being captured. She had no idea what their enemy might have planned but it couldn't be anything good. The worst thing was the knowledge that a good friend of hers was in danger and all she could do for him was wait and pray that Rei or Lita found him first.

With a frustrated sigh, Ami switches on the computer knowing the difficulty of the task before her. Half of the people she needs to find haven't been heard from in months, the investigation would be a combination of news reports and guesswork based on their previous encounters. To add to the fun she had several hours of study to catch up with and she was scheduled to keep watch over the hospital along with Tuxedo Mask through the early hours of the morning. Resigning herself to yet another sleepless night Ami sat down to begin her search.

When Serena finally opens her eyes, her first realisation is that she is utterly alone, simply floating in space. Her transformation is gone as well as her locket and she is in fact completely naked. There is no longer any pain, the space has no heat or sound or much of anything really. Dimly she notices that she isn't breathing, but that's alright because she doesn't seem to need to. Time seems to be meaningless here with no means of distinguishing between seconds, hours or days.

"_Am I dead?" _she questions herself. She pinches herself in the thigh as an experiment, and yelps in pain as it hurts as much as ever.

"Greetings Serena Tsukino or rather Sailor Moon."

The unexpected voice causes her to scream and spin around bringing her arms up to covers herself as she does. Behind her stands the man from the hospital. The enemy who hurt Mina in their firs encounter and nearly killed her after first tormenting her almost beyond endurance later after learning her identity somehow. She tries to throw herself at him but is unable to move towards or away with nothing solid to push off of.

"Don't waste your time struggling." The figure says. His voice is soft, calm. "You're in a dream state that I induced. I've entered your mind so I make up the rules in here. Now that I've entered your mind, however briefly, at the hospital, I will always be able to find you, wherever you may hide. I admit my original intention was to leave you to die in a nightmare world drawn from your own subconscious mind, but an unknown energy seemed to be protecting you and you simply wouldn't die. I've realised though that there may be more use for you alive and that is why you are here."

He turns to face her. It's the first time she has seen him clearly, up close and without the distortion of a shroud of shadows. She notes that he looks a little like Darien, the same dark hair and a similar face. The eyes are wrong however, brown instead of blue, and there are a few subtle differences. When he grins it is cold and inhuman.

"What do you want from me? Why don't you just kill me? If I'm just lying unconscious somewhere and you've been able to find me it should be easy."

"As I said, I have realised that you are still of use to me alive. I have found a way to achieve a far greater power than I believed possible. I only need a few more pieces to the puzzle. Soon you will awaken and then you are going to help me become the most powerful being in this world or any other."

"I'll never help a murdering bastard like you. Why the hell should I do anything?"

The figure pauses and laughs. "Because my dear princess you won't be able to help yourself, I'm going to tell you everything."

Finally I managed to finish a chapter :D. It was a serious problem trying to find time to sit and write for any length of time so this chapter was written in about thirty instalments. I'll try to have chapter 10 up quickly. Please let me know what you think by review or E-mail. Til later then.


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